A Little Surprise
by Donnie-o
Summary: Not much escapes Kenshin's attention, and Kaoru's recent odd behavior is no exception. But in turn, Kaoru notices some pretty strange behavior of her samurai also. Which brings up the question: What does Kenshin do when you try to steal his sword? Oneshot


_Disclaimer: I do not own Rouruni Kenshin, or any of the caracters from this awesome series. Just so you know._

_Author's Note: This plotbunny came to me from the recesses of my mind. It was a dream that I had one night, and it screamed at me to be written. _

"I just don't know what to do!" She cried, putting her face in her hands for emphasis.

Her friend, a lady doctor whom others had described as having a face that would cure any illness sighed. She was a patient person by nature, however, Kaoru tended to tax her patience without much effort it seemed.

"Kaoru, get a hold of yourself and stop behaving like a child." She said, "It is not something to get upset over. Really, even after being married to him, you don't seem to know Sir Ken as well as I do."

Kaoru blushed a little at the scolding, and felt her feathers ruffle a little at being called childish yet again. What added to her discomfort was that she knew she was acting childish.

"But Miss Megumi, I have barely even been able to get so much as a 'good morning' from Kenshin for the last three days. I'm really worried. He's been so withdrawn. I just don't know what could be wrong."

Megumi sighed, and rested three long, spindly fingers on her forehead. "Kaoru, really. He just needs some alone time. All men do. Haven't you noticed? Yahiko gets his by running off every so often to swing around his sword by himself. He calls it "extra practice," but it's really just his alone time. And Sanosuke will roam the streets at night. And what does Sir Ken do for his needed time to be alone? Nothing. Nothing at all. He's too busy doing the laundry, the house chores, and cooking dinner. And since he no longer wanders, he just won't get that alone time that he's used to anymore."

Kaoru could see her point. But she still didn't like it, and it still made her worry. "But Miss Megumi, it's been three whole days."

Megumi shrugged. "Don't be surprised if it lasts even a whole week."

Kaoru's shoulders slumped. "Right."

* * *

><p>The next day passed in peaceful silence. That is, silence between Kenshin and the world. While the hubbub of the life at the Kamiya dojo continued all around him, he dutifully fulfilled his household obligations. However, his eyes were distant. He barely spoke a word. Mostly it was an affirmative hum when he was asked a direct question. Other times if it were necessary he might actually get out a 'yes' or a 'no.' He most definitely was withdrawn, and Kaoru couldn't stand it. It got to the point that Yahiko finally mentioned to her in one of his lessons, "What is <em>with<em> you? Can't you focus?"

She had been watching out the open dojo doors as Kenshin made his way across the yard with a basket of laundry in his arms. "Kenshin has been very quiet these last few days, hasn't he?" She asked her pupil without preamble.

Yahiko mopped his dripping forehead with the sleeve of his keikogi. "Yeah, but it's nothing to space off about. When you do that, your face gets uglier than usual."

Kaoru snapped her head around, "What did you say?"

"You heard me. Ugly." Yahiko said, throwing his bokken over his shoulder in defiance. He wasn't worried. As soon as he insulted her, Kaoru tended to throw swordsmanship to the wind, and just come at him with her fists. And he could usually avoid her, because despite how much he'd grown in the past three years since he'd been studying the Kamiya Kasshin style of swordsmanship, he still was much lighter on his feet than her.

However, Kaoru's preoccupation with Kenshin proved to change Kaoru's normal behavior, and became Yahiko's undoing. With a clenched jaw, Kaoru snapped her sword up, caught the hilt of Yahiko's sword, and sent it flying out of Yahiko's hands to the other side of the dojo. "That'll be five hundred hand-grip strengthening swings for you. You obviously still need to learn how to hang on to your sword."

_That_ would give Yahiko something more to focus on than her 'ugly' face.

With that, she stomped out of the dojo. Furious not just because of the insult—the same one that he'd been utilizing for years—but also because Yahiko, like Megumi, did not find Kenshin's self-imposed solitude the least bit worrisome.

"Nothing to worry about, huh?" She muttered to herself as she stomped across the yard toward the main house. They must all think she was a worry-wart. That she couldn't think things through very clearly. She just wanted to scream, but she settled for making her way to the house where she could have some of her own alone time.

She failed to notice a pair of eyes following her march, the ones that once belonged to a certain wanderer.

* * *

><p>Day five of Kenshin's silence was the day that Kaoru stumbled on an idea. She couldn't just wait until he decided to snap out of it. Doctor Gensai had been over, and as usual brought his two beautiful granddaughters. The little girls adored Kenshin, and they always played together. However, this time, Kenshin managed to find a way to avoid them entirely. He left to get tofu by himself, and by the time he returned, Dr. Gensai and the two girls had already left for home. That was the most worrisome of all. As far as Kaoru knew, Kenshin loved those girls as if they were his own daughters, and found that their presence lightened his own mood. So, to avoid them so completely was very uncharacteristic of her gentle-natured samurai.<p>

So, she stayed awake, even long after Kenshin had fallen asleep. She had subconsciously taken hold of his hand. She had done it so often that she did it automatically now. On this particular night, since he had become the object of her thoughts, and focus, once she had his hand in her own, she was very well aware of his warm hand in hers. She tried not to squeeze it, because she knew that he was a light sleeper.

In her heart she knew that something was worrying him. In the past, whenever he was contemplating something serious, he had withdrawn as well. That's probably what scared her most: the thought that he had something serious on his mind, and would make a decision without discussing it with her. She also felt a little unhappy at the thought that he obviously couldn't take his worries to her. She knew before she married him that he was a little more on the silent side, and that he liked to handle his own problems in his own way. But she just couldn't help but wish to help, and wish that he would allow her to help. And even though she didn't want to admit it, she felt a little lonely and unhappy.

She stared at the ceiling, reviewing in her mind's eye the events of the evening. They had gone something like this: attempts to start a conversation were thwarted by one-word answers. He didn't eat much of the dinner he had prepared. He left to go to bed early. When she joined him, he had already fallen asleep. With the way things were going, Kaoru couldn't see any sort of clear ending to this. She had to find a way to snap him out of it.

That's when she stumbled upon her idea.

It was a bit ridiculous. But Kenshin didn't really seem to be responding to anything within normal parameters. Therefore, it was warranted. She wondered what his reaction might be. She stayed up thinking a little more, making a few mental plans, and tweaking the idea a bit to be able to take into account certain factors. Yes, the idea would probably pull Kenshin out of whatever mental sand pit he had fallen into.

Kaoru let out a satisfied sigh, and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Kenshin scrubbed at a particularly stubborn stain. It was fairly early in the morning, the sun just peeking above the hills in the distance. Kenshin found the early morning a perfect time to think. When he woke up, he found Kaoru's side of the futon empty, and he hadn't seen her at all that morning. That wasn't all that uncommon. Sometimes if Kaoru hadn't had a very restful sleep, Kenshin would most likely find that she had arisen before him.<p>

Quickly he disappeared into thought as he let his hands perform the now almost automatic chore of scrubbing the wash.

Suddenly, he looked up with sharp eyes as a ninja kunai blossomed beside his right foot, which had been tied with an indigo-colored ribbon. He instantly calculated the trajectory that the throwing knife had taken, and looked toward its source.

There, in the tree overlooking the wall of the property, sat a smaller figure dressed in ninja garb. Kenshin quickly determined that it was a woman. However, her face was covered with a dark head-covering. She disappeared quickly behind the tree. Kenshin followed after her. Normally he would wait until he had found out more about the woman. Unfortunately he was forced to change tactics very rapidly, because Kenshin's quick eyes caught one important fact.

She had his reverse-blade sword in her hands.

He darted up into the trees, following the shortest path between him and her. He could get glimpses of her as she darted to stay hidden behind the trees, so he couldn't really see much more about her. But she wasn't as fast as the oniwaban ninja group. That was lucky. Kenshin himself was pretty fast. He knew he would catch up with her.

For a split second, she came out into the open on a branch. She must have gotten caught on something. Kenshin sped up to try to catch her, but she quickly darted back into the upper branches of the trees again. That's when Kenshin realized something. The way that she moved was very familiar to him…

* * *

><p>Kaoru's heart raced, and her breath came hard. She was agile enough to put on a good chase, but she knew that sooner or later, Kenshin would catch up with her. She was a little clumsy. As if the branch of a tree catching on her clothing hadn't been proof enough; she'd almost been caught.<p>

She sped through the branches. It was a good thing that she'd asked Misao how to do it. She probably wouldn't have gotten nearly as far.

_I wonder if he realizes it's me?_

* * *

><p><em>Why in the <em>world_ is she doing this?_ Kenshin wondered to himself, as he steadily gained on her. He was baffled by her sudden uncharacteristic change in behavior. Although, he did have a guess as to what could cause her to do such a thing. He just needed to catch her...

* * *

><p><em>Yikes! He's catching up! <em>Kaoru felt a jolt of panic shoot through her, and she came dangerously close to slipping a couple of times. Steadying herself, she thought, o_kay, don't make mistakes, or I'm going to be seriously hurt…_

* * *

><p><em>If I don't do something soon, she's going to hurt herself.<em> Kenshin thought. After a couple of more leaps, he finally stopped on a tree branch and shouted , "Kaoru!"

* * *

><p>Kaoru landed on a branch, and then froze. She didn't turn around. She knew that he had figured it out. Now was the part that she both looked forward to, and dreaded. This is when they'd both finally talk.<p>

"Kaoru." Kenshin repeated, "What are you doing?"

Kaoru didn't turn around. She brought the reverse blade sword to her chest, and hugged it there, as if she had Kenshin in her arms, and not just his sword. Her heart beat violently against the pressure, and her breathing still came hard. She could hear Kenshin behind her, his breath slightly faster than normal.

"Kaoru," he said for the third time, this time a little more gentle, "Please, tell me what you're doing."

She took a breath, and then turned around to face him. He stood on the branch of the same tree, having moved closer while her back was turned. She hadn't heard him move. His eyes were looking at her, but not angrily as she supposed that he would. She found that his eyes had an intensity that showed he was concerned about her very irrational-seeming behavior, and a slight irritation at having to run after her and his sword, and perhaps a little tenderness for his unhappy wife.

Kenshin could see that something was wrong from her expression as soon as she turned around. This wasn't a random act of silliness. There was a purpose behind this act that helped him realize that they weren't going to go back to the dojo any time soon. He extended his hand to Kaoru, and she took it. He gathered her up in his arms, and jumped down from the tree, setting her down at the base of it, and sitting down next to her.

He didn't say a word. He just waited patiently until she was good and ready to explain.

She silently handed his sword back to him, struggling to find a way to begin. She thought she'd just know what to say when the time came, but the words weren't coming. This wasn't going the way she wanted. Instead of talking, they were silent. Again. She felt the frustration well up inside her again, bringing with it a heat, and moisture in her eyes.

"Kenshin, tell me what you've been thinking about. What's been worrying you?"

Blinking a couple of times, Kenshin tried to absorb what had just happened. It was obvious that she was upset about something. She'd managed to get him alone, and actively listening to her. Her question seemed like something that she could always have asked him, but he thought back through the last several days, and he couldn't really remember any conversations that he may have had.

"Are you referring to something that we've spoken about earlier on this week?" He asked her.

Kaoru shook her head, her lip trembling. She wished she could stop the silly crying, but she just felt that the worry and frustration that she'd been feeling all this week had just suddenly bubbled up inside her desiring to get out. Unfortunately, the way out was through her tears.

"No Kenshin, that's why I'm asking you. We haven't had a conversation all week." Her voice trembled with her lip, and the tears brimming in her eyes finally overflowed, running silently down her cheeks. She continued, "Every time I tried talking to you, I felt like you were in another world, and you wouldn't respond. I waited for you to come out of it, but you wouldn't. It was like I didn't even exist." She took a sleeve to her tears, and tried to get ahold of herself. She didn't want to be falling apart when Kenshin actually did decide to open up.

Kenshin's eyes grew distant again, as if he were looking inside himself.

Kaoru knew she needed to hurry, or he'd get lost in there again. "Kenshin," she said. He looked at her. "If there is anything bothering you, you don't have to shoulder it by yourself anymore. That's why two people who love each other get married. So they can help each other bear their burdens, and worries, and troubles. If there is something on your mind, I want you to tell me about it. Share it with me. I want to be able to help you."

For a second Kenshin said nothing. But then, without a word, he took her into his arms, and held her there. She felt slightly surprised, and felt the tears well up into her eyes again. Oh, how she loved being in that place in his arms.

"Kaoru," he said, in a gentle warm tone. "I have a feeling that you may be pregnant."

An electric shock of excitement ran through her body. She pulled back to look at him in the face. He looked happy, but there was another indescribable feeling that didn't seem to be so happy.

"How do you know?" She asked him. She hadn't noticed anything different. But it seemed that Kenshin often noticed things first… like the time when she had put on some weight without realizing it. Of course, he had to be insensitive enough to go ahead and mention it to her.

"You've been eating a variety of strange foods lately, not to mention you've been more tired than normal. Plus, your behavior has been somewhat peculiar lately."

Kaoru's eyes grew wide. _What if he's right? What if I'm pregnant?_ A mixture of fear and excitement rolled through her body. Then she looked at Kenshin. He wasn't smiling with his eyes, the way that he would if he were truly happy about it.

"Is that what you've been worried about?" She didn't know what to think about that. She assumed that Kenshin knew that when he married her, he was expecting to have children as well.

"To be honest, I never had planned to raise my own children. I didn't expect to have the chance."

What was he saying? That he didn't want to have children? _Because, _Kaoru thought, _if I really am pregnant, I would say it's a little late for that._ Tears crept unbidden to her eyes again. Her hands flew to her eyes. "What's _wrong_ with me?" She said, referring to her tears, trying to hide them.

Realizing what it was that what he'd just said sounded like, Kenshin's eyes grew wide, and he began to stutter a little, "M-miss Kaoru, it's not that I don't want to have children. On the contrary. I'm just… worried. I've never thought about raising children. And I don't know if I would make a very good father."

Kaoru laughed through her tears, practically sobbing and choking at the same time. This was not _normal_. Now that Kenshin had mentioned something, she realized that she'd been a little volatile with her emotions lately. "Kenshin, why would you say that? I think you'd be a wonderful father." She sputtered through her tears.

Kenshin couldn't help but smile at her predicament. She hid her face in his lap, and shook her head, letting out another uncontrollable chuckle-sob. He put a hand on the top of her head. He didn't know how to answer her question. She seemed so certain about this; it appeared futile to argue with her. He didn't know what the future would hold. But perhaps he could stop worrying his poor wife.

"Kaoru, let's go home." He said quietly.

Kaoru looked up through her glistening eyes. "Are you still worried?" She didn't want to go home if she was to face the same thing. She didn't know if she could handle it.

"I will be fine, unless a certain somebody decides to run off and join a clan of ninjas again."

With a blossom of crimson on her cheeks, Kaoru nodded. "Okay, then I'll stay with you."


End file.
